Henry Smith, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Crawley, attended the launch of Crawley STEMfest 2015 on Wednesday, 22nd April at The Base, Virgin Atlantic.

Crawley STEMfest is a series of interactive workshops, demonstrations, activities and shows that take place in schools and throughout the community to build interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. 

Henry said;

“It was great to be at the official launch of Crawley STEMfest 2015, which with the University of Brighton, Crawley Borough Council, and Central Sussex College, I helped bring to local schools as Member of Parliament for Crawley in 2011.

“It was great to speak to students about their work at the launch, as well as the teachers who make it all happen.”

The keynote speaker at the launch was Professor Mandy Chessell CBE, IBM Master Inventor who gained a Masters degree in software engineering at the University of Brighton.

This is the fourth year of Crawley STEMfest, and an estimated 20,000 students are expected to be involved, taking part in a range of activities aimed at encouraging them to pursue further studies and careers in STEM subjects.

Jamie Morris, Teacher of Design and Technology at the Holy Trinity School, commented; 

“I have been involved in leading and supporting STEM events at the school and local community with students of all ages. 

“It takes a huge amount of work to organise the events and it’s down to the support of Henry, the council and STEM ambassadors from local companies that they can go ahead. 

“All the students I have worked with have really engaged with the workshops and events and many have also chosen to start their paths into STEM careers because of the involvement with events such as the Big Bang Fair which is one of the main reasons I enjoy teaching!”

Crawley STEMfest will culminate with the Big Bang Fair South East at the South of England Showground on 30th June, where around 6,000 students and their teachers from throughout the region are expected to attend.

External links:
Crawley STEMfest
The Big Bang Fair South East